Corner of My Eye
by Emmery
Summary: On a breezy autumn night, Starfire meets a new, mysterious man. But perhaps he isn’t so new after all…Robin is suspicious from the start, and desperate to get to Starfire before it’s too late. Full Summary Inside
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright, this is a new couple with a new concept going here. I tried this couple in a previous fan fiction of mine, and fell in love with it. My reviewers seemed to enjoy it also, so I've decided to make my own little tale upon it. This will be a story that's on the shorter side; only about eight chapters or so.

Summary: On a breezy autumn night, Starfire meets a new, mysterious man. But perhaps he isn't so new after all…Robin is suspicious from the start, and desperate to get to Starfire before it's too late, but when he becomes entangled in a plan involving Slade, she's quick to fall in love and neglects her feelings for Robin. But could this new man have something to do with Slade's latest plot? Couplings: SladeStar, RobStar

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The café down on Fifth Street saw a good amount of business. People would come listen to poetry on Fridays and drink pumpkin cappuccinos in the fall. The leaves were dancing in colorful patterns outside, meaning the espresso machine would be working non-stop. The calendar read out 'Friday', adding to the swarm of people. The workers at the store started to see new faces as time progressed.

In particular, a man sitting at table was catching everyone's eye secretly. He sat with a large mug of classic English coffee, reading a book casually. He was dressed in a sharp pinstripe suit jacket, with a pair of matching dress pants. He looked as if he had stepped fresh out of a business office, but his aura was far from that impression. He had blinding bright blonde hair that went in every which way, covering his left eye mysteriously. The one remaining eye was a striking blue, clouded with some unknown compunction.

A small bell that rested upon the door rang through the café; it went almost unnoticed until everyone looked at the girl that walked through the door. She was unmistakable; a legend if you will. Her flaming auburn hair rested at her lower back as she walked to the counter. The name 'Starfire' rested quietly on everyone's lips. They watched the door for a couple of seconds, waiting to see her comrades, but she was alone.

The only seat left in the entire place was the one across from the peculiar man. The poetry readings had become quite popular. Starfire made her way over to the table, her pumpkin cappuccino in hand.

"May I have this seat?" She asked pleasantly as always, smiling at the man.

His glossy blue eye looked up at her, inspecting her for a second. "Be my guest." He knew her so well, if only she knew of him, she would run so far away.

The reading wasn't going to begin for a few minutes or so, leaving time for casual chitchat. Starfire studied the man for a second.

"You seem familiar…Perhaps we have met before?" She held her coffee, enjoying the aroma that drifted into her nose.

He put down his book, raising his eyebrow slightly. "Perhaps. I know of you, you're that Titan…Starfire, correct?"

She nodded and smiled. "You know my name, but I do not know of yours…"

His mouth opened slightly as he went to say something, but decided against it harshly. He thought for a second and then spoke, "My name is…Joseph Wilson."

Starfire smiled. "It is very nice to meet you Joseph. I believe that we could become very quick friends!" She liked his mysterious aura; it was alluring and almost seductive in a way.

Joseph. It would be a long while before she figured out who the real Joseph Wilson was. He pushed such thoughts aside, finding himself with a strange attraction to her. Like a moth to a flame. "So what brings you to a place such as this? It doesn't really seem your style…"

"Oh, my other friend, Raven, I'm sure you've heard of her, suggested I come here. I am enjoying this…cappuccino…I believe it is called?" She glanced at the cup.

He nodded. "Yes. It is quite good…"

They talked quietly as the poetry began, listening to bits and pieces of it but more a less listening more to one another. A slight sparkle went through both of their eyes as they found out more information about each other. It would be overstated to call it the cliché term, 'love at first sight' but there definitely was some sort of spark.

"So, most people your age are at a place of work right now…What do you do for your living?" Starfire asked.

He thought again for a second. "Well…I take odd jobs here and there, whatever people ask me to do. I'm beginning to enjoy working by myself though…"

She tilted her head. "I see…I was hoping to get a 'job' but most places are very unwilling to hire a superhero."

"Doesn't the team get money from the city or something?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Star nodded. "Yes but Robin is very…oh what is the word…stingy…I believe Raven said when it comes to our funding."

"I see…Well, I'm sure you'll find something." He gave her a very faint, handsome smile. She thought she would melt at that sight.

Before they knew it, the reading was over and the moon was sitting in the sky. Starfire and Joseph were walking slowly down the sidewalk, stalling their way back to their destinations.

"I am sorry to part so soon friend, but my team mates will be most worried if I do not return. "Starfire said, a hint of sadness in her tone.

He held up a hand. "It's fine, I understand…I really did have a nice time talking to you tonight though…"

A few seconds went by as their eyes met, locking with some unknown force.

"Would you like to meet up again some time? I believe I have my number of phone service with me." She reached into the pocket of her jeans.

Joseph smiled to himself at her strange speaking patterns; he pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling down the numbers as she read them out to him. He overlooked it and placed it in his pocket.

"I'll be in touch." He said, smiling once again. He had never smiled so much in his entire life. Did she possess some godly power over him?

Starfire pulled her denim jacket around her and nodded. "Goodbye Joseph!" She called as she began to walk back towards the tower.

He began to walk the opposite direction, back to his original course. He gave a slight wave and watched her disappear into the distance. The wind began to pick up in the air, leaves rustling all around in response. It didn't take him long to get back to his hideout, he walked in, once again becoming enveloped in darkness.

His butler, Wintergreen, appeared at his side and took his coat. "I trust the poetry reading was to your liking?"

He nodded. "Yes…I met someone too…though I already knew her…"

Wintergreen raised a graying eyebrow. "Does she know who you are?"

"Of course not." He picked up his infamous orange and black mask, glancing at it. "I doubt her little friends would approve if she knew who I really was…"

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Starfire slipped into the tower later that night, hoping that the team would be asleep by now. She hadn't expected to stay out past nine o' clock or so, but meeting Joseph took up a great more deal of time than she had planned. A small smile graced her lips at the thought of him. They had just met, but already, he was making a very good impression in her mind.

"There you are." Robin remarked, walking out of the kitchen to meet Star at the door.

She gave a slight gasp, not expecting anyone to be in the room. "Oh…Robin…"

He gave a gentle smile. "Raven said something about you going to listen to poetry, how'd that turn out?"

A bright smile appeared on her face. "It was glorious! I made a new friend; his name is Joseph Wilson. We are planning to meet up again soon."

Robin furrowed his masked eyebrows. Wilson…that last name sounded familiar. He brushed it off for now, making a mental note to investigate it later. "That's good. Just be careful about meeting new people, all right Star? Not all of them have the best intentions…"

"Thank you for your concern Robin, I am most grateful. But something about Joseph…I feel he is a good person." Her mind flashed back to his handsome smile, a warmth washing over her. "Well, I shall be off to my sleeping quarters now."

He gave a slight nod. "Night Star."

She gave a slight wave and walked out of the room, a bit of spring in her step. Robin leaned against the counter and gazed up at the ceiling, sighing. A ripple of worry went through him at the thought of Starfire meeting some new, mysterious man. But she was an adult, she could take care of herself. They had just met anyways, so this one time meeting could just fizzle into nothing.

Still, he could see the sparkle that shone through her eyes at the mention of his name….

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Starfire landed on her bed with a long sigh. She had barely heard a word of poetry tonight, but she hadn't bothered to tell Robin. Raven had told her once that he often over analyzed things, especially when it came to new people. Perhaps she was over analyzing tonight's meeting.

But her heart was filled with such warmth as she reflected on their conversation. She had to see him again, just once. Just to see if she still felt the shiver that raced up her spine when he spoke with that smooth voice of his. He was so handsome, it was almost as if he were too handsome to even exist. Perhaps tonight was all just some wonderful dream, she thought, as her eyes began to drift closed.

'Or perhaps I have met my…prince charming?'

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A/N: So, what do you guys think? This is a different type of writing for me, for some reason. It's really somber and mysterious. I like it though, it shows my writing style has improved a bit. So, leave me your reviews and tell me what you think.

You may leave suggestions about grammar and spelling and whatnot, but do not flame me on the couple please. Don't tell me 'Rob and Star forever!' because I can't stand that.

Couple notes on characterization: I think it would be very like Starfire to feel all fuzzy inside about meeting someone new. She has sort of that adolescent innocence about her, that she would be quick to call her curiosity a form a love. But as time passes, who knows what could form?

Love,

Emmery


	2. Voices in my head

A/N: Hello, and a big thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! This story will probably end up playing out to be RobStar, considering I have a dreadful urge for it and, well, it's quite frankly what the mass amount of people on this site want. With all that said and done, let's begin our chapter.

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Starfire sat at the breakfast table the following day, enjoying a hearty meal of tofu bacon and real eggs. It was a mix of Cyborg and Beast Boy's cooking, the rest of the team didn't seem to enjoy it, but it was perfect for her standards. It was just the right mix of strange earthly tastes.

"So, Starfire…this guy you met last night…Joseph. What's he look like?" Cyborg asked, twirling his fork around in the air as he spoke.

Of course she had blabbed on and on about how they had connected so well the previous night. She couldn't wait to receive his phone call and run out the door to meet him again. But for now, talking about him would have to suffice. She vaguely noticed the fact that Robin stayed quiet the entire time, reading over the paper with a glazed expression.

"He has very messy blonde…almost white hair. It goes over his left eye, adding to his already mysterious aura…." She continued on with a dolled up description of him, like a little girl speaking of a prince.

Robin's mouth twisted into a discontent frown at the mention of a missing left eye. That of course conjured thoughts of Slade. They hadn't seen any sign of him since Raven's prophecy, and Robin was curious as hell to find out where he had gone. Starfire looked over at Rob, noticing his restless expression.

"Robin…Does something trouble you?" She asked sweetly.

He looked at her, giving a benign smile. "No…I'm alright. Just a bit sleepy, that's all."

They went on to continue talking, but were disrupted by the siren flashing through the tower. Robin was the first to rush over to the computer, typing frantically to find the crime.

"Seems it's some sort of robbery down at the docks." He muttered. "Shouldn't be anything too big. Alright team, let's head out."

It was the usual order of things, the siren would ring, and Cyborg and Robin would run out the door with Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire traveling behind. They reached the docks in no time to find the hive, hassling the crew of a massive ship. Gizmo stood out in particular, yelling at and chasing after the captain of the ship.

Robin looked at the rest of the team. He could see Cyborg ready to pounce on Gizmo and let him progress forward. He gave a slight nod to Raven and she went after Jinx, and Beast Boy went after Cyclops, leaving Robin and Starfire to take care of Mammoth.

He wasted no time in yelling at the massive giant; he merely delivered a strong right hook to his stomach. Today it was fight now and ask questions later. Mammoth dropped the crate he was carrying; it's contents spilling out over the ground. It was a group of small vials, they landed on the ground with a 'clank', some of them breaking. Mammoth seemed to be barely affected by the punch as he began to progress on the boy wonder, leaving him no time to ponder the chemicals.

Starfire blocked a deadly blow to Robin's head, via a starbolt. Her teeth were bared as she pushed against Mammoth's fist, trying to get it away from her comrade. Robin took this opportunity to pull out his bo staff and take out Mammoth's legs by bashing it into his knees. Mammoth collapsed with a grunt, but was soon to get up and advance on the pair once again.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Rob yelled and charged forward.

Star and Rob locked eyes for a second, deciding silently on an attack. Robin stopped in place, while Star charged up a large bolt in her hands. Mammoth continued charging forward, not seeing the obvious. Robin spun in a full circle, his staff colliding with Mammoth's side. Starfire finished taking him down by sending out her starbolt. He was blown back into the nearest warehouse, unconscious. The giant had stood no chance against the duo.

The two friends smiled at each other and glanced at the rest of the team. Cyborg was holding Gizmo by the back of his shirt as he cursed loudly, Jinx was joined by Mammoth in the ruble of the warehouse and Cyclops was smashed under Beast Boy in the form of a gorilla.

"Nice work team." Robin congratulated, but then his mind went back to the vials. What where they for?

He walked up to gizmo, glaring at the boy. "Alright, what exactly where you robbing this ship for?"

Gizmo grumbled. "Like I'm gonna tell a rotten pitsniffer like you."

Raven stepped forward, her eyes glowing red. Her cape was blowing ominously, giving a view to some eternal darkness. "I implore you to reconsider…."

"Oh crud…" Gizmo's eyes widened. "Okay, Okay…We we're robbing this ship for a supply of Zinothium, that creepy Slade guy wanted it."

Robin's teeth clenched reflexively. "Slade…" He had been expecting this sooner or later, god knows that man couldn't stay in hiding forever. "The police should be here soon."

The team waited only a few minutes for the police to arrive, they took the hive away to jail, though the team knew that they would be out on the streets again before they could count to three. They went back to the tower, ready to relax for a little bit before they were called out for another crime.

Robin, however, had no intention of relaxing. His mind was busy with questions, fears and anger. He watched as Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg took seats on the couch, ready to dismiss the fact they had even heard Slade's name, even if just for an hour or so.

Starfire stood by Robin though; she was inspecting him. She could see that look in his eyes and she didn't care for it. She went to say something, to offer him a cup of coffee, but her communicator began to ring.

Surprised, she opened it up and put it to her ear, someone was calling her by phone. "Hello?"

He looked over at her, raising a suspicious eyebrow. But all his curiosity melted away when her face lit up and she uttered a name.

"Friend Joseph! How glorious it is to hear from you again! How have you been?" She began to walk away to her bedroom, smiling wildly.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Poor guy, she's going to talk his ear off now."

Beast Boy laughed. "Yeah, then poor you, 'cause you'll have to hear every detail they discussed."

Cyborg and Robin joined in Beast Boy's chuckling and Raven merely rolled her eyes once again, picking up a hefty spell book. Beast Boy began to flip mindlessly through the television channels as Robin forced himself to take a seat on the couch. He wasn't about to let himself get caught up with Slade like usual. He would take a bit of time to research, of course, but it could wait just a second or two…right?

"Hey Rob…Starfire's new friend sounds like quite the charmer, huh?" Cyborg asked, raising his eyebrow.

Rob looked over at Cy. "Huh? Uh…I guess so…"

Cyborg took a cautious pause before continuing. "She's gone gaga over the guy…are you…I don't know…_jealous _at all?"

His masked eyes widened. "Wha…What are you talking about!"

Raven looked up from her book to look at Robin, a bored expression on her face. "I could feel the mixed emotions pouring off you this morning at the breakfast table. Don't deny it."

Rob furrowed his eyebrows, trying to gain a serious expression. "I…I'm not jealous. Starfire is just meeting someone new, that's all. I have no idea what you guys are suggesting…"

Beast Boy peered at him. "Dude, it's written all over your face. You wish she would blab on and on like that about you. And believe me, I feel the same way..."

A moment of silence went through the room as everyone stared at Beast Boy. He gave a quick cough.

"I uh…I mean like, with all girls…I want all girls to talk about me that way… Heh." He gave a toothy grin.

"You better mean it that way…" Robin mumbled almost inaudibly and left the room without another word.

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Robin was huddled over his work desk as usual, piles of paper scattered around with odd ends of information. He wasn't focusing on any of it though. Sure, his mind wanted to focus on catching Slade, but a larger part was somewhere else, debating his team's accusations of his jealously. Was he really envious of this Joseph?

"No…Of course not…" He reassured himself out loud for the millionth time.

If that was true though, why did he get this sinking feeling in his heart when he thought about her with someone else. His mind briefly flashed back to when Starfire nearly got married to that green blob Blackfire had set up. He had felt that same feeling then as he did now… that time he had just pinpointed it as his skepticism of the situation, but here, there was nothing to be suspicious about. He had rung up a search on the name 'Joseph Wilson' but found nothing.

Rob leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the ceiling with a groan. It was then he heard a knock on the door and Starfire's sweet voice recited his name.

"Come in." He told her, standing up and stretching slightly.

Starfire entered the room, her hair pulled back into two long ponytails. She had on a black t-shirt, probably from Raven's closet with her normal purple skirt and a pair of black sandals. Robin swallowed slightly at the sight of her shapely legs; those boots really hid an eyeful.

"Robin, I thought you might like to know that I shall be absent from the tower for a few hours. Joseph and I are going to enjoy dinner and a film." She gave a bright smile, the light pink lip-gloss that illuminated her lips shone brightly.

A very slight sigh escaped his lips and he put on a fake smile. "Well, have fun and carry your communicator with you. If you get into any trouble, please don't hesitate to call."

She gave a nod. "I will see you later this evening."

He watched her leave the room, catching one last quick view of those model like legs. It wasn't normal for him to focus on a woman like this; he usually tried to keep himself very professional. It was much more than he could say for Beast Boy and Cyborg though; they would have hour-long talks about Raven, Starfire and Terra's 'best qualities' as Robin merely blocked it all out.

It was here he realized, painfully, that she was perfect. She was literally out of this world in beauty, charm and grace. Her odd speech patterns, that gorgeous smile and caring heart had seduced him in a snap. He realized that he _was_ jealous of Joseph; jealous of the fact Starfire would so openly admit how much she liked him but would forever call Robin 'friend'.

He had the notion to stop her from seeing Joseph again, to run down the hall and tell her they needed to talk. But he stopped himself, perhaps this feeling he had identified as jealousy was just hormones talking….

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Starfire tried to keep herself from flying through town; she was just that happy. But Robin and the others had warned her numerous times that she should keep her flight for crime fighting since it wasn't exactly normal for humans to fly. She stopped abruptly and looked up at the restaurant. She frowned slightly, watching as woman in classic 'little black dresses' walked in with a man around their arm. She looked down at her own attire; a black shirt and a purple mini skirt.

"Starfire." She heard a familiar voice muse.

She looked up to see Joseph; he too was dressed down slightly from when she had first met him. He had on a pistachio green dress shirt that was slightly unbuttoned at the top, leaving a faint view to pale skin below. Star's eyes couldn't tear away from him; he was mesmerizing.

"I believe we have underdressed for this establishment of eatery." Star said with a faint smile.

He looked at the restaurant and shook his head. "No, we're not eating here. I just wanted to meet up here because it was close. Now, are you ready to go?"

Her face lit up again and she happily began to walk beside him. He watched her walk; there was such a spring in her step, such a sparkle in her eye. Everything was working out perfectly. She would soon begin to indulge secrets about her little friends without even really realizing it, and he would be able to finally take down the Titans once and for all.

Plus, there was the fringe benefit of watching Robin become painfully bitter that he hadn't taken his chance with Starfire in the first place.

They had chosen to eat at Red Lobster, Joseph had made a comment about it being the best place for drinks where you didn't have to make a reservation six weeks in advance. Starfire enjoyed the strange tastes of fish and shrimp, so she readily agreed.

"…I am quite worried about a friend of mine." Starfire said, spinning her straw in her glass of water.

Joseph gazed up at her, curious. "How so?" They had been on the topic of friendship for a little while now, he himself had described his close friendship with his butler, Wintergreen.

"Well, every once and a while, we are involved with this villain named Slade. Whenever he appears, however, my friend Robin becomes dangerously obsessed and often does thing she should not….and today, while we were fighting crime…one of the villains mentioned that Slade was behind the robbery."

Joseph quickly grabbed his drink to hide his successful smirk. He took a large swing of his beer, this was going to be easier than he had originally thought.

"So, you're worried about him becoming obsessed again?" Joseph asked, putting down his beer.

Starfire nodded. "Oh, if only our team could understand this Slade. It would make things much easier for us, especially Robin. I am sure that whoever Slade his, he is just a nice man who has fallen down the wrong path in life…"

"Well, maybe someday you'll understand him. If he wants you to…"

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Robin sat in the main room, tapping his fingers impatiently on the keyboard. He wanted Starfire to come home already, he was starting to worry about her being out so late. Especially when Slade was out there somewhere, plotting, stealing.

The clock struck 9 when the main room doors finally slid open to reveal Starfire. She instantly saw Robin sitting on the couch and smiled.

"Hello Robin! I trust your evening has been enjoyable?" She asked, walking over to him.

He sighed and stood up. "Yeah…And yours?"

"Glorious! You and must go sometime to try this lobster I feasted upon!" She made an odd gesture with her hands to show the lobster claws.

Robin really hated to ruin her upbeat demenor, but it was now or never. "Starfire…could you and I…talk for a second?"

She tilted her head slightly, picking up his nervousness. "Does something trouble you?" She asked, taking a seat on the couch.

Rob's mouth twitched into a nervous frown. He stared at her, trying desperately to make words come out of his mouth, but nothing happened. She stared right back at him, blinking curiously. Finally, he forced his mouth open.

"Star…I…"

He was cut off though, by the siren sounding off and the television blanking out for a second. Then, a transmission appeared on the screen, causing Robin to scowl.

"Slade…."

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A/N: There you have it, my second chapter! It took me a little while to write it as I was finishing up my previous story. Thanks to all who reviewed, especially you Rose, I actually did this story just for you. (Just put up with the RobStar…mmk? XD)

Love,

Emmery


	3. Rising Suspicions

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Oh how many times Robin had seen that man upon their television. Always laughing manically, his one eye attempting to peer into the souls of those he tormented. No matter how many times he had tried to shake that eye from his dreams, Robin really never could manage a full nights sleep whenever Slade was around.

"Hello Robin, long time no see, hmm?" A voice like satin; smooth, unmistakable.

Starfire stood up, hands clenching into angered fists. Robin's mouth twitched into a grim line as he walked forward, confronting his demon head on.

"What are you planning this time? Does it have anything to do with the supply of Zinothium you were trying to steal?"

The rest of the team had entered the room now, glaring almost in unison at the masked man on the television screen. When Robin mentioned Zinothium, Cyborg's face became grimmer; that chemical never meant anything good.

"Ah, I see you enjoyed your little rendezvous with the H.I.V.E the other day. Well, to answer your question, yes, it does involve Zinothium and a member of your team. Though, Robin, you're welcome to become my apprentice again."

Everyone glanced at each other for a brief moment, wondering exactly who Slade was targeting. Robin, though, was glaring at the screen with a fearful amount of malicious intent.

"Never!" He hissed. "Whatever you're planning Slade, it's not going to work. You won't be able to con _any _of us into joining you."

Slade leaned forward, getting closer to the screen, his gray eye glittering with amusement. "Oh, it's going to work _perfectly_ Robin. I'm going to tear your little team apart from right under your feet."

The screen cut off there, leaving a sea of static. Robin bitterly shut off the television, nearly breaking the button as he went. He turned to the team, teeth barred slightly.

"So, Slade just called with a few little cryptic threats? No detonators or anything?" Cyborg asked.

"A _few_ cryptic threats? He said he's doing something with one of us! That's more than a little Cyborg, for all we know, he could be planning to _kill_ one of us. He might blackmail one of us again…Who knows what he's planning!" Robin exclaimed.

Starfire's face dropped and she grabbed one of Robin's flailing hands in a bruising grip. "Robin please, we shall not stop you from completing research, but you are in no such condition to work at the moment. Perhaps if you rest…"

"No! That man doesn't rest! Every moment I sleep or decided to play video games and forget about the crime, that's time for him to get ahead of me and take the rest of us down once and for all." He tore his hand from hers, ignoring the slight pain that ran through it and stormed out of the room.

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Slade turned around in his chair, chuckling like mad to himself. He had forgotten just how worked up that boy became whenever he was around, it was amusing in a way. The fact that he had enough power to install fear and anger into people, that was gratifying beyond any material possession to him.

He knew Robin would spend tireless hours trying to figure out who exactly he was targeting. Of course, his first suspect would be Starfire, hitting the nail on the head. But after countless hours of research, he would come up with nothing. It would take him months before he could find any account of Joseph Wilson. Slade was silently thankful that he knew the right people, they had deleted any records on all of his family tree. Silently locking all files and memories away somewhere.

By the time Robin did realize that his first guess was correct, it would be too late. The plan would already be a success, too far underway for him to prevent or even stop. He really did amaze himself some times with his own brilliance. This plan was nearly flawless.

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Starfire had long since washed off all of her make-up, let her hair back down and changed back into her normal outfit. She sat in the living room, surrounded by the stale silence that filled the air. Everyone had gone off somewhere, trying to escape the tension that the tower held from the earlier events. Robin had made his message clear; he wanted everyone to watch their steps. No one could be trusted at this point in Robin's eyes.

Sighing to herself, she floated out of the main room. Perhaps Robin had taken her advice and was resting for even just a few minutes. Enough time to clear his head before he dove head first into endless hours of mindless research. She knocked softly on his door for the second time that day, waiting for it to slide open, giving view to a welcoming Robin.

In the doorway, he appeared, leaning to the right, his expression already worn. When he realized who it was, it lightened slightly, a sigh escaping him.

"Robin…Is everything okay?" She asked gently.

He nodded, walking back into his room, over to his desk that never seemed to be free of papers. "Yeah. I'm just researching some small leads." His hands clenched to the sides of the desk as he hunched slightly over his work.

"Before Slade called…we were about to have a conversation…" She began, remembering his expression. She knew he had something to say.

Robin's mouth went into a grim line. "Oh…It was nothing….Now, I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to get to work on this. Slade's planning to use one of us and I need to figure it out before it's too late…"

Starfire walked toward him. "Slade is most unpredictable, especially in situations such as these. The team and I know very well of Slade's trickery and will not succumb to his requests. Perhaps if you will just let this go, his plan will fail."

"I can't let this go…I just can't. We can't afford to lose someone. What if Slade tries to take you away? I can't let that happen." His fingers began to break into the wood of his desk.

Starfire smiled softly. "I realize you are most concerned about me, but I will be fine…"

He was surprised when her arms slipped around his chest, enveloping him in a soft hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closing as a sigh escaped her.

"You looked as if you required the hug." Starfire said sweetly, when it truth, she was the one who was needing it.

Robin felt his cheeks flare up, they hadn't had a hug like this since the t-ship crashed way back when. He could allow himself to stay here all day like this, or perhaps even turn around and make this into something much more than a hug…

"Starfire…" But he wouldn't. He slowly took her hands off of his chest and turned around. "I've really gotta get back to work…you should be going to sleep anyways, it's late."

Her eyes faltered for a second, disappointment glimmering through them. "Oh…alright." She stood for a few seconds, waiting for him to make another move, and then began to walk away silently, realizing she had lost.

He watched her slide out of the room with out another word, his heart crushing. How could he have just rejected her like that? All for research? No, it wasn't just for research. It was for her safety, her life.

Sitting back down, he put his head in his hands and groaned. He knew damn well he couldn't start anything in the lines of romance, no. That would create a weakness on him. Every villain would know exactly who to target in the line of fire. He would react exactly how they want him to, running after her, risking his own safety, all because the heart can be stronger than the mind. He couldn't let that happen.

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One Week Later 

An entire week, hours and hours of research, investigations, interrogations and he still could find nothing. No one on the team was being tracked by Slade or any of his lackeys, repeated searches on Joseph turned up absolutely nothing and Robin was getting frustrated to say the least.

He hadn't said much to Starfire, but Joseph _was_ his main suspect. The man had come out of seemingly nowhere, there were no records of anything on his name, creating more and more suspicion in Robin's mind. No one besides Starfire had even seen this guy and the two of them had been going out on dates for a total of three weeks or so.

But Starfire was smart enough, she would be able to tell Slade apart from a common guy….wouldn't she?

Robin had decided to finally leave his room later that day, Starfire had requested that everyone eat lunch together, as she had an announcement to make. He didn't think much of what she could have to say, considering he had gotten less than twelve hours of sleep in the last week or so.

"Friends! I have glorious news!" She announced brightly, her face already glowing with tons of make up.

Everyone waited as she gathered her words to continue. "Joseph and I are going out tonight and he wishes to pick me up. He also wishes to come inside and meet all of you! Oh, I cannot wait until you he arrives!"

Robin looked up when she said that. Finally, he would get to meet this guy she had been fawning over for weeks now. Perhaps meeting him would kill away all his suspicions…or it could even create more of them.

"He shall be here around seven in the evening. We are enjoying dinner at eight at the 'Cuba Libra' I believe he called it." The smile on her lips would never cease to end.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Cuba Libre? That expensive Indonesian food place on tenth? Wow…"

Cyborg snorted. "Geeze Star. Sounds like you hit good looks and money; every girl's dream."

Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy all had a slight laugh about that while Starfire tilted her

head in wonder. Robin was almost oblivious to it all, his mind was somewhere else, as it had been this entire week. Cy offered him lunch but he refused it instantly, retreating back to his room without much else to say.

"I'm really worried about Robin…he's barely eating and never leaves his room these days." Cyborg said, fixing up a large stack of hamburgers.

Beast Boy spoke up now. "This is typical Robin. He's got Slade on the brain and won't return to normal until he figures out what's up."

Raven nodded slightly. "Yes, but it's typical to a point. He's starving himself, that's not healthy…"

Star took a seat down at the table. "Perhaps I should cancel my plans tonight and convince Robin to leave the tower with me?"

Raven shook her head. "No, don't let this ruin your night. We'll make sure Robin comes out of his room and eats a little bit. I have a strong feeling he'll come out to meet Joseph."

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Time flew by that night, the clock reading out '7:05 pm' in no time at all. Starfire walked out into the main room, dressed up for the dinner she was in store for. Everyone, except for Robin, was waiting for Joseph's arrival. The house had been cleaned thoroughly, so much that the boys were surprised you could actually see the floor in the kitchen.

Starfire stepped into the room, a pair of high heels she had bought at the mall earlier that day clicked on the floor gently. She and Raven had gone out as Star demanded help on picking out a suitable dress for the restaurant. The pair had agreed on a simple black, short dress that didn't take too much out of the budget.

"Damn!" Beast Boy said, eyebrows raised as he looked over the sofa. "Lookin' awesome Star!"

She blushed slightly. "Thank you Beast Boy. But I must give my thanks to Raven for helping me pick out such a lovely dress."

He looked over at the telepath. "If you pick out a dress like that for her, why can't _you_ wear something like that?"

Raven glared at him. "What? You afraid to ogle Starfire because Robin will cut you in half?"

The changeling sunk into the sofa and the doorbell chimed throughout the tower. Starfire gave a slight squeal and ran over to the door, looking in the camera to confirm it was indeed Joseph. She grinned, noticing he was carrying flowers as she pressed the button to open the door. The trio stood walked over closer to the door.

Joseph walked in slowly, his eye gazing around the room before he handed the flowers to Starfire, planting a quick kiss on her forehead. She gasped at this action, turning bright red. He grinned slyly at her and turned to the team.

'_Alright…_' He thought to himself. '_Act like a normal, 'suave' guy and they won't suspect a thing…'_

"Why hello. You must be Starfire's friends. I've heard much about you." He said, his white teeth glistening. He was faking some sort of Tom Cruise chippery voice.

He turned to Cyborg first. "You must be Cyborg. The one who, as Starfire says, likes to open the cans of 'butt kick' and enjoys working out."

Cyborg gave a slight laugh. "Yeah, that's me." He shook Joseph's hand firmly. "Nice to meet you."

Next up was Beast Boy who stood very small compared to his towering height. "Beast Boy. Starfire's told me you like jokes and video games. Typical boy your age, hmm?"

If he didn't stop, he would begin to annoy himself with his friendliness in a moment or two…

"Yeah guess so. Starfire's been blabbing on and on about you, hope you know that." Beast Boy said, showing his weariness of her repetitive fawning, but in a joking way, of course.

"And Raven…" Joseph said, his grin widening slightly. "You're Starfire's best buddy. The one with the dark powers…" He knew all he needed about her.

"Well, best friend after Robin." Raven muttered grimly. She never did feel all that comfortable around new people, but he seemed pleasant enough.

Joseph nodded. "Speaking of which, where is the boy wonder?"

They exchanged nervous glances, trying to think up an excuse. It wouldn't be needed though, as Robin walked into the room seamlessly, going over to the kitchen to make it look like he was getting something to eat.

"I'm right here. Sorry for being late, I didn't realize what time it was…" He said casually as he could, although his voice still sounded callous.

The men's eyes locked and Robin found himself frozen. He only had _one _eye. It was a deep brown…almost gray if in the right light…Not very many people only had one eye. Starfire had told everyone that his hair covered it, but not the fact that it was _missing. _Suspicion upon suspicion began to layer inside his mind.

"So how'd you lose the eye?" Robin asked bluntly, grabbing an apple and knife out of the fridge. Who needed awkward introductions anyways? He wasn't very interested about what Starfire said about him to other people anyways.

"Robin…" Starfire said, her tone becoming chastising.

Joseph shook his head. "It's alright Star, he wants to know, so I'll tell him." He paused here, collecting thoughts. "A long time ago, my ex wife and I got into quite the argument. I didn't see she had a gun and…well, let's just say I'm grateful I lost my eye and not my life." It was the whole truth, just had a _few_ minor details missing…

Robin stared at Joseph, the knife had in one hand was dangling maliciously. Both of them knew, Rob could probably nail Joseph from the spot he was at with the utmost precision…

Raven, not really approving of Robin's attitude, cleared her throat. "I don't mean to interrupt, but it's seven fifteen, you two really should be going."

He glanced at his watch and looked back at Robin, their gazes breaking for only a second. "You're right. Well, it was nice meeting all of you. Hope to have dinner sometime."

Joseph took Starfire's arm and they left, waving to the team as they went. The flowers he had brought were already neatly set into a vase on the table. Robin snarled, throwing the apple across the room.

"Yo, Rob! What's your problem? Just because you're jealous doesn't mean that you can treat Star's boyfriend like dirt." Cyborg said, glaring at the leader. "I personally thought he was a pretty nice guy. Star really seems to care for him."

Robin snorted in contempt. "A nice guy? Are you all _stupid? _He's got Slade written all over him. _One eye_ for Christ's sake."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think Slade would go this far to break us up? No offense to Starfire, but Slade does _not_ seem like the type that would put up with her talk about ponies and fairies for too long."

"He would!" Robin hissed. "He would just because he wants to see us all suffer when we split up! Now I'm going to tail them and find out where he lives, it's probably his headquarters, then we can go and take him down for good!"

Raven stepped forward. "Robin…Please, calm down. What Beast Boy is saying actually has a point…I don't think that was Slade…his aura was a lot different…too…_upbeat_ to be anything close to Slade."

"I don't care what the hell your aura readings say. I know Slade when I see him. Now what restaurant did they say they were going to?" He began to charge towards the door, fury raging inside of him.

Raven's magic snapped to the door, sealing it closed. "You are in no condition to leave here. If you really want someone to track them, _I'll _do it. You need to go and rest."

He peered at her. "Will you really?"

"I know the exact place they're going and everything. I don't have a suspicion about this guy, but you seem so damn intent on it, I'll go for you. But you have to promise me you'll stay here and get some sleep and food."

Robin digested that for a second, sighing. "Fine, Fine. But if you see anything…anything at all…" He seemed to agree to readily, at least in Raven's opinion.

"I'll call the second I feel something strange is going on."

Raven's magic melted off the door, and she opened it, looking back at Robin who was walking over to the kitchen in search of some soup. She gave a silent nod to Cyborg and Beast Boy as she left the tower, headed for the expensive restaurant on tenth.

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A/N: Yeah, really starting to get into the groove with this story. Man, is it just me and Rose, or does Slade make you want to melt? Nah, it's probably just me and Rose. XD

Next chapter: Raven tracks Joseph and Starfire on their date and doesn't really see anything all that suspicious. Robin refuses to give up his theory, slips out of the tower and tracks Star on his own agenda. He's still weary of Joseph, especially when Starfire doesn't return home that night….

And two words: Mmm limes. ;) –insert maniacal laugh here-

Read and Review everyone!

Okay, Rose and Pat, like I promised to continue, here's where I babble on to you:

**Rose**: Wow, I shall respond you first because you had the longest review on Thank You for the venom. The people at the library were looking at me weird because your review took so many pages to print. XD

I really, really despise the hive. Well, except for ONE time with that Cyclops dood where he made the remark to Starfire about having x-ray eyes. It was so cheaply perverted, I laughed forever. But Gizmo needs to die. He needs to have a shot gun pointed at his head and the trigger needs to be pulled slowly, so he'll suffer and not know when he's going to die, he'll just know it's soon. And when the bullet finally enters his head, he won't know what hit him….

Been reading far too many gory, boy comics

As for Robin's sarcastic one liners, I think that's his one and only superpower. Besides being the ultimate sex symbol in my head. Well….he's tied with Batman. I bought Batman begins for myself and I was watching it all squealing like a stupid fan girl. Dammit, I swear to god I'm a ten year old boy trapped inside a fourteen year old girl's body. Tehe.

I got pissed over the weekend 'cause ALL of my friends were busy. Or so they told me…Well nah, I believe them. Because my best friend (my NEW best friend…-stabs former one-) was away in the Caribbean. What I DID do though was play playstation for literally three days straight.

My parents came home and I unplugged the playstation realizing, holy crap, I have not sat down and watched TV for three days. I played until like one or two A.M each night and then just went to sleep. Woke up at like 9 and played all over again until one or two. That was my cycle….Yeah. Ten year old boy indeed. Or at least one of those thirty year old ones that live in his mom's basement.

I shall stop here now, but I look forward to your next review. You should enjoy next chapter thoroughly, I assure you. –grin-

**Pat: **Hello ol' buddy ol' chap. Nah, I wouldn't kill you for not reviewing one of my stories. I couldn't do that you. If I killed you, then who would I use to gather my crops? I would have to find a new Mexican love slave and it would be a total mess. So, your life is assured in my hands. Someday, I will teach you English and you will have your own family. Then, you move up to Mexican Lover. No more field working, just feeding me grapes and all that Cleopatra crap.

Well, yeah, Robin not suspecting Slade was a tad bit off, I do realize that now. But this chapter, he had a dandy little freak out, wouldn't you say? Mmm hmm…

Use me in your story? Sure! I'd love to be in it. And I would not kill or slap you (in a violent way) if you made me have a romance with another OC. I'd be honored actually. I'd finally have a boyfriend SOMWHERE in the world. You see, it turns out my guy friend has a girlfriend….I loathe her. A lot. Though I really shouldn't, but I do anyways. So sue me.

And I'm getting jealous of all my other friends and other people. This one girl I talked to said she made out with her boy friend in the school's elevator ('cause he's on crutches) and I was like, WHY CAN'T I MAKE OUT IN ELEVATORS! HUH? Tha'd be so sexy with the daringness of the situation. You'd be all like, 'gasp!', it's gonna open and people will see us. Quick! Turbo kissing!

I really need to find that thing called life….and the board game doesn't count. Because I always end up with two cars, full of children.

And my best friend situation. Bleh. We sort of made up, but I'm getting annoyed by her a lot lately. I've made a new best friend. (well…there were two people that were sort of competing for the spot, so my friend Tabitha won, or something like that) You know what? High school sucks. I'm failing social studies already and…it just sucks. Simple as that.

Hey, who the hell is the clickty clack bag of bones bitch that reported your story? That's just not cool man, not cool. I was really, really liking T…

Ah crap, I've gotta go now. My mom is calling me out to come eat tacos for dinner. Mm…..anything Mexican flavored…..

You know what, scratch that whole feeding me grapes thing I said earlier, you are going to feed me tacos when you move up to Mexican Lover status. Okay? Extra cheese and sour cream with those tasty little green onion things on there. Mexican food turns me on….XD!

Love,

Emmery


	4. Diving In

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Raven sat casually on the rooftop across the from the Cuba Libre. The building she was sitting on was another restaurant of some sort, she hadn't really bothered to look. Her main objective was to blend in with the darkness and watch Joseph and Starfire from afar. In her mind, she had no reason to be here. Sure, it was a bit of a coincidence that Joseph only had one eye, but she felt that Robin was overestimating Slade just a bit.

Would he really go this far to destroy them?

It seemed like an eternity that she had been sitting out here, shivering slightly in the early December cold. She wasn't quite used to the sudden temperature change, one that most people would call normal. This was as cold as it got here in California, reaching the low seventies. Sometimes, she wished it would snow, just to make Winter seem more like…well, winter. She vaguely remembered Starfire questioning why Santa Claus drove a sleigh and not a ship like the Titans did.

She was just about ready to leave, even knowing that Robin was probably tracking her every move via communicator, when Joseph and Starfire walked out of the restaurant…

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"That food was absolutely delicious!" Starfire exclaimed, smiling.

He chuckled ever so slightly at her. "I figured you would like it. Most people abhor the spices in the foods…"

She shook her head. "The foods reminded me of those at the festival of Chanknas on my home planet. We eat a variety of foods for a newly engaged couple."

They had spent almost the entire dinner talking about their pasts, since Robin had brought a large part of Joseph's in the tower. The food had been great, if not expensive as Starfire had found out from a quick peek at the bill. Two hours had flown by in what felt like minutes, making it around ten at night or so.

The tower shone brightly in the distance as they stopped at their usual place, the corner of a desolate street. It was the halfway point between the tower and Joseph's house as they had come to figure out after a few meetings. The pair stood for a few seconds, their deep breaths and the sounds of misplaced crickets shrieking some tune filling the air.

"Well, I really should be getting back to the tower…" Starfire said awkwardly, her eyes somehow locked with Joseph's.

She expected the usual goodbye, and perhaps even another kiss on the forehead. But instead, Joseph grabbed both of her hands and pinned them to the wall of a nearby building. All she could do was watch him with her eyes wide as he brought her into a sweeping kiss. She couldn't reject him, if she had any reason to, considering her hands were bound to wall by his robust grasp. It was a soft kiss, the complete opposite of what she had been expecting.

The kissed seem to end far too soon as he pulled his lips away slowly, a small sigh escaping him.

"I…I'm sorry…" He said darkly, still not letting go of her hands, something was possessing him at the moment…

She took this moment to stare at him, emotions flickering through her like an old movie. Only had she been in this position in her dreams, to have someone staring back at her with such desire and lust…

Slade chastised himself. He had to clear his mind or otherwise he could go insane. It had been just an impulse to kiss her like this, it didn't mean anything….

Or so he tried to tell himself.

No. This was part of the plan. If he acted like he needed her so badly, she would bow to him with her own 'love'.

Hell, he was surprised she hadn't protested this. His original thought would be that it would take months to charm her to this point.

But It had only been a few weeks, and already he could see she wouldn't be going back to the tower, no, not tonight. He would make sure of it. He would get the forbidden pleasure he hadn't had in years and it would be worth all of the acting.

"I…I need to…" She began, but couldn't force the words out her mouth.

He held his gaze, keeping his lips centimeters from hers. "You can't tell me you don't need this…. need me…" His voice sent rolling, seductive thunder through her veins.

Starfire closed her eyes, conflicting emotions running rapidly through her body. From her head to her toes, she tingled in anticipation that he would kiss her again. Thoughts of Robin went through her head like a flash of lightening, she was still confused about her feelings towards him…

But she pushed it all those thoughts away.

None of them mattered tonight.

"I do not need you…." She said, opening her eyes slowly. His expression faltered, he was surprised. But her lips parted slightly in a smile as she continued. "I do not need you…but I want you…"

He chuckled wickedly and enveloped her mouth in a deep kiss, this time with a tiny bit of force. His tongue began an assault on hers, massaging it gently with some unbeknownst skill. She arched forward slightly, body pressing further into his.

This was all she had dreamed about for weeks upon weeks, this one forbidden kiss.

Her hands fell to her sides as he released them from his grasp finally. His fingers found much more splendor in dancing on the surface of her skin. Her own fingers traced his jaw, memorizing the perfect curve with utmost carnal intent.

He pulled his lips away from hers to whisper gently in her ear, "Do you still plan on going home tonight?"

A moan was trapped in her throat as he nibbled softly on her ear lobe. She spoke carefully, "Are…Are you suggesting that we…"

"Precisely." He said instantly in a seductive whisper. "We've gone far too long without it, wouldn't you say?"

She couldn't take it anymore. Too much was on her mind right now. She needed it all to just go away. Lust, curiosity and confusion. Just the very thought of what she was in for caused a wave of heat to sweep over her.

She wanted this.

She needed this.

Needed him.

The moan she had been keeping captive left her throat softly. "Lead the way to your house….let us not waste time."

The slight pain in her wrists told her that he had the potential to be a rough lover, but she could tolerate that…

'_I'm sorry Robin…' _She thought brokenly as Joseph took her hand and began to lead the way.

And that would be the very last thought she would have of the boy wonder for a long while.

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Raven had seen enough. Their body language and auras revealed their entire night to her clear as day. She frowned slightly, mostly for Robin, and stood up, taking a deep breath. Starfire wouldn't be coming home tonight; certainly not. But how would she break this news to Robin without breaking him…?

Giving an exasperated sigh, she flew back to the tower, images of Joseph and Starfire replaying over in her head. It had been like a car crash, a scene she couldn't look away from.

Starfire….

What had she just gotten herself into?

Of course people, especially these days, were ready to have sex with each other the first night they met and some delayed it a few weeks, or again, even less. So perhaps this shouldn't bother her so much….

But Starfire wasn't most people

She was like a small child, unknowing of all the strange earthen cultures and now some man she had just met a few weeks ago was going to engage in one of the most crucial parts in an earthling's life.

Raven always had heard Cyborg and Beast Boy joking that Robin and Starfire had probably already slept with each other numerous times, and sometimes even she herself would be close to believing it.

But that idea was completely thrown to the curb now. She would have to tell Robin the truth plain and simple. There wasn't a story good enough that she could make up to cover all his suspicions.

She barely even registered her hand turning on the knob, opening the door to the main room. Instantly greeted with a dismal warm air from a small heater, she looked up to see the three boys on the couch.

Cyborg and Beast Boy engaged in video games while Robin sat bored flicking one of his birdrangs open and closed.

"Raven…" He said, looking up, noticing her presence instantly.

She took in a deep breath of air, trying to force the grim look off of her face. He stood up instantly as Cyborg and Beast Boy paused their game, they must have been waiting for this information too, even if just a bit.

"So, did something happen?" He walked over to her.

"Well, no….not really." Raven muttered. Sympathy . Such an evil thing it was. It riddled her mind now.

"What do you mean?" He was curious now, worried.

Her mouth twitched into almost a scowl now. If this had been anyone else she would have just spit it out, told him exactly what happened and let him deal with it.

"They went out to dinner came out and…that's it." She muttered.

Robin didn't seem satisfied with that. "So why aren't they home?"

"I don't know." The lie slipped out before she could catch it. "They walked out of the restaurant and started heading towards here so….I left."

She couldn't hurt him like that. It probably was better to tell him the truth now, but he would sit the whole night in denial, in pain. Or he would go out looking for them, an even more dangerous result.

"Oh….so she'll be home soon then, right?" He was trying to ease himself, anyone could see that.

Raven gave a small nod. "We'll see….But don't worry, okay? He wasn't doing anything suspicious, she's fine with him…" She swallowed the truth back like a horrible sickness.

Robin watched as Raven drifted off to her room without another word. Cyborg and Beast Boy went back to playing video games without giving any sign as to whether or not they believed this. He wasn't about to let off his opinion either.

"I'm going to go out…" He muttered.

Cyborg seemed to pick up his almost inaudible speech. "Rob…I think it's best you stay here, you're still…"

"I'm fine." He said hastily, walking to the door.

"You won't find her…."

Robin stopped but didn't look over his shoulder. "You underestimate me."

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Two whole hours. That's how long he had been searching for her. Roaming the city from nearly coast to coast, building tops and city streets with absolutely no results. He had even looked into a few late night diners and clubs with hope that they had perhaps extended their date.

He wished that she would have taken her communicator with her, but it had been turned off even before she left. It sat lying under her pillow in her room, being of no use to her if she were in trouble.

Perhaps he was just being paranoid. He was just uneasy about Starfire because she was a bit naïve, he was worried that she might fall into trouble without even really realizing it. It wasn't about her date, that fact that he creeped the hell out of Robin…..

_One Eye. _

No. He didn't care what the others said. That man was the devil in a dress shirt.

Slade.

Currently, Robin sat in one of the diners he had checked in. A cup of coffee sat in front of him, barely even touched other than stirring in a bit of sugar and creamer. The solitary waitress and the other two patrons were giving him worried looks. His expression was dead, pale and weakened. He felt sick…

Knowing she was with him.

_Willingly._

"Hey Kid, even superheroes need sleep too you know." The older woman suggested gently, standing in front of his table.

He broke out of his spell, looking up at her. She placed the bill down silently and he glanced at it.

A dollar twelve for a cup of coffee he didn't even drink.

His masked eyes wandered over to the window, he could see his pitiful reflection. Worn, pale, dazed. He had let himself go over this. There was nothing more he needed right now than a good nights sleep.

Slapping a ten dollar bill down on the table, he left promptly. It didn't take him long to get back home. He still didn't go to that bed he needed so desperately, he just sat in the kitchen, staring at the clock that read a sound '1:32'A.M.

It was then the door slid open almost soundlessly. Robin looked over, holding his breath as she walked in, trying to be silent in case anyone where around. Her eyes looked worn as if she needed sleep as bad as he did. The dress that had looked so prim and proper when she left was a ruffled mess now.

"Starfire." He said, not even realizing his voice was capable of leaving his throat now.

She swallowed a startled scream and looked over at him. "Robin…" She breathed out. "You startled me…"

He could tell where she had come from. What she had been doing. But he almost refused to believe it. After a few seconds of stalling, she walked over to him. He could see by the dull red of her lips that she had been wearing fire truck red lipstick earlier that night, but it was all gone now. Half of it left behind on a wine glass….the other half….

"Did you still not sleep as we all requested? Please tell me that you have eaten." Worry lined her expression.

She seemed to be ignoring her appearance. Dismal bits of sweat lined her brow, causing even more of her strange bangs to cling to her face. Did she hope he would overlook the red bite marks on her neck? Hell, she probably hadn't been expecting him at all.

"Starfire…." It was all he could manage out again. The words left his mouth like jagged pieces of glass, hurting him with each syllable. "Why are you home so late…?"

It was a stupid question. He knew the answer damn well, but needed to hear it from her. Perhaps it would help him actually try and believe it.

Star looked away for a second, a long sigh escaping her. "Please, you really require some slee-…"

"No!" His yell echoed throughout the room long after it was gone. Cascading off the walls in a brilliant display of his internal pain. "Why won't you answer me?"

The tears stung her eyes. "I…I do not wish to hurt you…"

He fought back his own tears, glaring painfully at her. "If you didn't want to hurt me….Why did you do it in the first place?"

"Why does this concern you? I can do what I wish with my body and…and…" She said, her sobs beginning to escape.

"Don't you get it by now Starfire?" He stood up, trying to stop the tears from sliding out of his eyes. "All these years, this entire time that you've been with Joseph…I've loved you…"

The mascara she had been wearing was streaming down her face now. She turned her back on him, refusing to hear such a ridiculous thing. So many countless years chasing after him, her heart about to burst with her love for him….She let that all go to pursue Joseph because she thought he had no interest in her whatsoever

That's the only reason she let her relationship get this far…the only reason she…she…

_Please forgive me._

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A/N: Wow, what a depressing, yet sultry chapter, yes? Slade's becoming quite evil isn't he? Sleeping with Starfire…naughty boy. Tehe. Well, next chapter I'm hoping to get more into Slade's actual plan on what he's going to do with Starfire. 'scuse the sloppiness of this chapter, it was a bit rushed because I didn't realize Wednesday came so damn fast and well…three words: Social Studies Sucks.

Pat and Rose...I don't know where you two have gone to, but, well there's always next chapter...

So, please continue to read and review!

Love,

Emmery


	5. Song For Holly

A/N: Dreadfully sorry for the lateness of this chapter, I ran into some problems with the school filter blocking and crap like that, but it's all settled now, and hopefully the school won't block it again! Though, the time that I had without my deadlines, including the holidays, so I had time to pump out this pretty wicked chapter. It's not the best I've written, but it's angsty and violent, which always rocks.

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It was still a little after one in the morning, the room was still dark as hell save for a few dim lights. Robin and Starfire were still caught in the most awkward of situations.

Robin really hadn't even meant for those words to slip out of his mouth, they just…did. It was ironic really. He had struggled for almost a year now with those three little words, but now, they slipped out so easily. Rare, silver tears slid from his eyes, he had been fighting a losing battle against them.

Starfire struggled to hold on to her consciousness, everything was burying her. Guilt, confusion and a strain of….happiness?

No, she didn't know what it was. She was just drowning in a sea of emotions. "N-No…" She stammered, struggling to force her voice from her throat. "You cannot stand here and tell me these _lies. _" She refused to believe it.

"Lies?" He asked through clenched teeth. "I know I hid my feelings for you pretty well, but not flawlessly. Don't you remember all that we've had together? All those moments where I put myself in danger to save you…"

"Saving is different than loving, Robin. I thought you were just my good friend, if you had just told me how you felt…" She shut her eyes tight, trying to stop herself from screaming in anguish.

"Well I'm telling you now! How many times do I have to say it?" He walked closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to face him. "I love you." It was a bit easier to say now…or so he tried to tell himself.

She tore herself from his gentle grip and swallowed her sobs. "I…I need to go." She began to walk away quickly, leaving him with the sound of her clicking high heels.

He stared at her as she practically ran from him. He had no idea where she was going, and part of him honestly didn't want to know.

Back to _him_….

Back to _his_ bed…

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He never was much of a smoker. No, it would end up slowing him down on the battlefront and it really didn't have any health benefits to it. But a good, expensive cigar here and there couldn't hurt. And if only for special occasions, it wouldn't damage him.

Damn. Did he need a cigar right now.

No, not just a cigar. A whole victory party for what he had just accomplished. She had crumbled beneath him much sooner and easier than he would have originally thought. In a few weeks he managed to gain what every fan boy and a certain masked boy wonder dreamt about every night.

The beautiful, seductive, yet some how innocent poster girl. The naïve alien that the boys dreamed of showing the world to, the world, and of course, a few other choice tricks…

She had offered to stay the night, perhaps even go another couple rounds, but he gently suggested that she should go home before her friends became worried. Or, in other words, before Robin sent out everyone down to the honorary titans to find her. She did leave, reluctantly of course, and promised to be back as soon as she could.

Perfect.

She was already making plans to come back, to sneak out to see him….

Lying to Robin.

His original plan was much more elaborate, but it had changed considerably. Especially after tonight. But his objective remained the same; to have Starfire a criminal, fighting against the very forces she now stood for. Or if not even that, just have this little fling to drive Robin completely insane, ruin the one thing he cherished dearly.

And to take something so precious from that arrogant boy would be the ultimate reward.

Never had he considered the task would be this…_pleasurable_.

He had considered a multitude of techniques to make Starfire his own. Everything from hypnotism to his personal favorite, blackmail, came into mind. He knew she couldn't escape his grasp as easily as Robin had, she was so loyal to her friends, and she would stay with him until death. A flaw she had, really, friendship was very valuable to her.

But, after much thought and consideration of what had failed in the past, he began to focus on something that was probably even more valuable to her, or any female for that matter; love. It was a dangerous thing. It caused people to do amazing, if not regrettable things. Some would even go as far as to end their own lives over it.

So that's when this entire plan had started. He had planned that meeting in the café, knowing she would arrive for the poetry reading that day. It was just his luck that they had been forced to sit together. It wasn't hard for him to act like he did around her. Originally, he had thought that he would have to bite his cheek as she spoke of things that could interest him less, but that wasn't the case. She was daring, not really afraid to try anything new and certainly had a peculiar appetite.

Enough to keep him _amused_, if not anything else.

He was shaken from his thoughts by a slight beep coming from his computer; some one was trying to contact him. Growling slightly, he slipped his mask on and turned in his chair to receive the message.

"Ah, Professor Chang, I was wondering when you would return my call." Slade said smoothly, glad to be finally rid of his upbeat personality. Back to the dark, sadistic master he was known to be.

The professor sighed. "Yes, sorry about the lateness. But it is a bit hard to accomplish anything with the worry of the Teen Titans being on my ass in no less than five seconds. It's like that boy wonder has a radar installed in him."

"It'll all be taken care of in time Chang. Now, did you get what I asked for?"

"Of course, do you honestly think I would double cross _you?_" He responded, a forced grin upon his face.

Slade's eye narrowed. "Smart man. Now, I'll meet you at the docks in an hour. Try to keep a low profile, okay? It's late at night, so I doubt anyone will see anything."

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Starfire sat on the roof of the tower, crying for all she was worth, her tears falling off of her face and into the sea far below. She had abandoned her shoes behind her, feet feeling cold against the freezing rooftop as she rested her arms over her folded knees.

What had she done?

When Joseph had offered to go back to his place, she knew what she was in for, of course. But, she hadn't really thought of how serious and emotional it was. Sure, it felt good…well, it was mind blowing, to say the least, but perhaps there was more to it than the physical pleasure…

Perhaps that's why Robin was so upset that she had done it…

Was he crying in the kitchen for her or more for himself?

She had a perfect view of the city from here, glowing lights stretched all the way from the pizza shop to the docks in a breath taking display. It was quiet now, there was no one out on the streets at this time, other than a few people stumbling home from partying late at night.

Part of her wanted to leave now, go somewhere else besides here so she could escape the image of Robin in her mind. He had been…crying. The tears had actually fallen from his masked eyes, something she thought she'd never see. Something rare and _she _caused it.

But it was a bit too late now, she was in love with Joseph, there was no denying that. But a part of her, a part she had tried so desperately to cut ties with, loved Robin too. She didn't know if it was enough love to overcome that she felt for Joseph, but it was a substantial, relentless amount.

She would have to let Robin suffer, that's what it came down to. She was too close to Joseph to just throw him out of her life now, that would end up killing her in the end.

Starfire stood up slowly, taking in a deep breath of the blustery winter air and let out a lengthy sigh. There was nothing more she needed now than a good night's sleep and some time to think.

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"So, what exactly are you planning to do with all of this?" Chang asked, watching as his drones loaded the hefty supply of Zinothium into Slade's armored car.

Slade looked up at him slowly, his eye tearing away from counting the endless amount of hundred dollar bills. "Let's just say Robin had something going with the whole Red X persona."

Chang raised an eyebrow. "Making a new outfit for yourself? I could help out with that…for a fee." His grin widened.

He snorted in contempt at that. "Hardly. This chemical is highly unstable, I wouldn't use it on myself. People tend to get a little…_off_ when they deal with it for too long. Might I use you as an example?"

"I ask for your money, not criticism, Slade. I got what you asked for, so keep up your end of the bargain."

A couple seconds of silence went by as Slade pretended to continue to count the money. "Well, would you look at that…" He grinned maliciously under the mask. "Seems I don't feel like paying tonight."

Before Chang could respond or even protest, he was knocked out with a powerful punch to the head. Consciousness left the professor instantly as Slade cracked his knuckles, watching a bit of blood collect on the ground.

"Never get tired of seeing that." He said walking back over to his truck. The professor's henchmen had fled at the first sign of their boss going down; cowards.

Slade gave a slight nod to the driver and watched the vehicle swerve off into the distance.

He barred his teeth slightly in under his mask, Chang had something going with the whole radar hypothesis.

"Feel free to step out with the cheesy one liners any time now." Slade said grimly.

Robin leaped from his perch, attempting to connect a deadly blow to Slade's head; not wasting any time with small talk. It was dodged easily and instantly. For the first few minutes, Slade let Robin do all of the work, watching the boy throw all of his power into punches and kicks that were all parried easily.

Weary of being on the defensive, Slade seized Robin's wrist in his hand and swung the boy around in a circle before throwing him into one of the surrounding storage buildings. There was a satisfying crash as he collided with the metal door, leaving one hell of a dent.

Groaning slightly, Robin forced himself to roll out of the way of a dangerous punch. Slade's fist collided with the door instead, crashing through the metal as if it had been glass.

"You've gotten sloppy." Slade said harshly, advancing on Robin as he tried to stabilize himself. "The lack of sleep has dulled your fighting skills."

Robin gave a loud battle cry and advanced on Slade again, connecting a roundhouse kick to Slade's stomach. It did little to phase him though as he stumbled back only a few centimeters, catching Robin's ankle in one of his strong hands.

"Let me guess…" Slade said through his teeth as he swung Robin around once again, this time making sure he collided with the brick part of the building rather than the metal. These movements caused him no trouble at all; like he was child swinging around a rag doll during a tantrum.

"You heard me conferencing with Chang over a coded channel that you broke. Thought you could come down here and play hero, expose me for my evil doings." He picked Robin up by the front of his shirt, making it so they were eye level. "Who is more predictable here Robin, you or me?"

Robin was struggling a bit to hold onto consciousness. Being slammed into brick wasn't exactly pleasant. "Don't lecture me…" He grumbled, conjuring enough strength to kick him in the stomach again.

Slade dropped him to the ground, not showing any sign of pain from the powerful blow he had just been delivered. Instead, he responded by connecting a steel toed boot to Robin's jaw. Drops of blood sprayed from the boy's mouth as he yelled out in pain, creating a gory, crimson piece of art on the concrete.

"What's wrong Slade?" How he still had the strength to talk, he didn't know. "Are you kicking the shit out of me because I figured you out?" Robin pushed himself up on his hands and knees, staring down at the blood that leaked from his face slowly.

He waited as the boy stood up slowly, weary at first, but then pure rage set in as he began to speak again. "You may have made a fool out of everyone else, but I know you. With or without the mask. And might I say, you're really bad at acting."

Slade stared at Robin, showing nothing more than contempt towards him. Did he really think him that much of a fool? Child's play this was. Trying to get him to blow his plan out of the water, trying to manipulate him into admitting the truth.

"Not a clue what you're talking about." Slade said slyly.

"Don't play stupid with me Slade!" Robin yelled, his voice echoing through the air. "You've done some horrible stuff in the past but…this…this is just sick. You robbed a girl of her innocence, and for what, another shot at an apprentice? Don't you see how this going to end? For being an evil genius, you really don't seem to look ahead."

Still trying to draw a response; he really was getting sloppy.

Robin was done with his interrogation. He usually had a great deal of patience; but it wore very thin with Slade. Especially now. Especially with what he had done in the past twenty four hours. He had been wanting to tear the man to shreds for what felt like an eternity. Forget compassion, forget duty; Slade didn't deserve to live.

He threw a harsh attack of endless punches, all of them being blocked with ease by Slade, just as before. It was as if they could predict each others moves in the fight, it would seem a fruitless battle. That is, until Slade grew tired of this. He wanted Robin out cold at his feet.

As Robin threw another punch, Slade caught his frail wrist easily, twisting Robin's hand behind his back with a small 'pop', probably dislocating the boy's shoulder. He paid no attention to this as he delivered a strong kick to Robin's ankles, causing him to collapse to the ground instantly. As if he were using a hammer, he reeled Robin upward and smashed his face into the concrete, causing more blood to splatter onto the floor.

Ignoring all the pain that was fired off in his body, Robin growled and struggled beneath Slade, trying to break free from his grasp.

"You're such a volatile person. Another way we're similar, hmm?" Slade asked mockingly, squeezing Robin's wrist as hard as he could, relishing in the sound of the bones shattering.

Somehow, Robin managed to free his wrist from Slade's bruising grip, kicking Slade off and rolling a few inches away, resting on his back, barring his teeth as the blood trickled from his now, probably broken nose.

This was one huge game. A cat and mouse chase to the extreme, if you will. Robin had come here, hoping to be the cat, catching his prey unsuspected. But it had back fired, instead, Robin had ended up as the mouse, being crushed under the cat, Slade.

"Why do you hate me so much?" Slade asked mockingly, standing above Robin, placing a heavy foot on his chest, crushing his ribs.

The air was leaving Robin at an alarming rate, it felt like a grand piano had been placed on him. "Where do I begin with that one?" Robin responded , his voice dripping with amused sarcasm. He tried to move again, but Slade was prepared.

He pulled out something similar to one of Robin's birdrangs, but it was black and orange with a solitary 's' upon it, a weapon from his apprentice days. "Don't get up, I'll answer it for you."

Blistering, white hot pain blinded Robin as the blade was stabbed squarely into the palm of his hand. Crucifying him, binding him to the ground in a sea of crimson. And Slade's foot was still on Robin's chest, but now, he was putting his entire weight on it. Resting an arm over his knee as he stared the boy wonder down.

"You hate me, right this very second, for one reason. And not the heroic one you're taunting around, the fact that Starfire's innocence was stolen away. No, the reason you hate me is because I got to live out the one thing you've been having boyish fantasies about for years now."

He laughed here, mocking Robin to the utmost extent, pressing down further on his already bruised rib cage. "And might I say, she looked so good in _my_ bed."

Robin coughed, feeling vomit and more blood begin to rise inside of him. He was still trying to struggle, but found it only caused the blade in his hand to tear through more of his skin, causing his vision to blur out even more.

"Y-you bastard…" Robin said defiantly, and spit squarely onto Slade's mask, showing his utmost disgust. These actions took the utmost effort, but they were worth it.

If only their positions were switched, Slade would be long gone, entering the gates of hell in no time.

Slade gave a low, malicious laugh, like the roll of thunder on a summer night. "You can't win Robin." It was one of the last sounds Robin heard before Slade's elbow crashed with his temple square on. Causing his head to spin and his vision to be swallowed in black.

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The sun began to rise in the distance when Robin finally regained his consciousness. He was instantly struck with the horrible pain of the blade still lodged in his hand. Swallowing hard, the taste of copper prominent in his mouth, he reached over, feeling the shattered bones in his wrist cry out against it, he pulled the blade out from his hand.

His scream echoed through the air again and he blacked out for a few seconds before forcing his eyes back open. Breathing heavily, frantically, he sat up in a zombie like motion. He instantly stared at his hand, watching as blood still poured freely from it, a silent reminder that he was still alive.

Wincing, he forced himself to stand. His hand felt almost numb with the pain. He wondered briefly it could mean paralysis, but had to focus on the grueling task of getting home and bandaging his wounds before they became infected. Feet feeling as if they weighed a ton, he moved forward, pulling out a grappling hook with his shattered hand and shooting it lazily into the air, letting it whisk him away.

He'd rather be found dead than call the team for help.

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The blood began to seep through the bandage on his hand before he even finished tying it. It would be wise of him to get stitches, probably, but he hated to even let anyone know about this. That would be impossible of course, these injuries were severe enough to put him out of commission for a day or two at the most.

Thankfully, he had one hell of a tolerance to pain.

"…_You can't win Robin."_

He closed his eyes tight, wrapping the white ace bandage around his other wrist, baring his teeth slightly against pain from the slight contact with the broken appendage. He hadn't accomplished anything tonight, not like he had planned. He was far too weak, going almost three days straight with out so much as an hour long nap. No sleep but the times he collapsed in exhaustion over his research.

No one was going to believe him. He had no proof at all, Slade had caught on to him from the moment he entered the docks. There had to be some way for him to stop Starfire from falling into his grasp, some way to stop this evil plan. Why in the world did no one believe him?

Hell, even a confession of his hidden love to her couldn't even make her think twice about seeing that monster.. She rejected him, running away in confusion..

Robin opened his eyes back up, letting out a small hiss of pain as he clenched both his fists angrily.

"If it's an apprentice you want Slade…" He said dismally. "An apprentice is what you'll get…"

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A/N: And there you have it, chapter five. I think we can all see where this story is going, but I promise you it won't be all that predictable.

Alright, continue to read and review everyone!

Love,

Emmery


	6. Hollow

Ah, feels good to be writing again. It's only a matter of time before the new school filter blocks again, but what the hell, might as well take advantage of it now.

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Slade growled slightly as he tried to tighten a particularly stubborn bolt on his latest…'invention'. He wasn't really the servant or slave owner type, so he had to build all of his own tools, and that was quite tedious.

A small buzzing noise, the vibrating of his cell phone, caught him off guard. He had only bought the stupid thing to talk to Starfire, so he knew it was her calling him. He turned around and stared at the phone as it buzzed at him. It looked so very out of place in the dark room. He waited for it to buzz a couple more times before he opened it up.

"Starfire. I've been expecting your call." He said with an almost bored air to his voice.

She wanted to see him. Which was expected, but her voice sounded worn and upset. Not the usual cheery, loud voice he normally heard on the other end of the phone. Her tone wasn't suggestive either, causing a very small twinge of disappointment to run through him.

He had almost been looking forward to having her over again….

They had plans to meet tomorrow afternoon, he would pick her up at the tower. That thought alone made him grin maliciously. To see Robin's face now…

The 'snap' of the phone hanging up lingered in the room for a few seconds as Slade let out a lengthy sigh. He went to go back to his work when his television screen, the one he received intermissions from fellow 'villains' on began to crackle. He dashed to his work bench and slid his mask back on, growling for the umpteenth time that night as he glanced over at the screen.

"How the hell did you get this number?" He asked through clenched teeth.

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Starfire dropped her communicator onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling. She was sprawled out on her bed, still not out of the dress she had fallen asleep in. Her mind replayed sections of last night, excellent and horrendous, right in front of her eyes. She could smile at neither, feeling regret for enjoying her night with Joseph and just plain sorrow for her minutes with Robin.

She was going to meet Joseph tomorrow, to tell him about her problems with Robin and various other things she had been wondering about.

Now whether or not she would end up going back to his place again….

Well, that would be decided later on.

Before that though, sometime tonight, she desperately needed to talk to Robin. She hadn't seen him out in the main room all day long and was slightly worried. She had a lot to tell him, too. A lot that would hurt him…but…it had to be done sooner or later.

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"I have my ways. But that's not the important issue here, now is it?" He spoke smoothly as he could, trying to lessen the spite in his tone.

Slade glared at the screen. "Impudent little…." He muttered low under his breath. "Well, then what _is _the important issue here?"

His expression became a bit darker then. "I have a deal for you, Slade. One that I believe will interest you."

He leaned back in his throne, fingers gripping around the arm rests quietly. "Please, do explain."

"Let her go, end your whole little plan _now_. Just send her off without a word of who you really are…and I will be your new apprentice"

Slade gave a sarcastic, short laugh. "Please, you think of me as that foolish? I've already made my choice."

"No. I will serve you if just let her go." His stomach felt tight as he spoke, but it had to be done.

"Hmm, and here I thought you would be working on trying to convince her to stay away from me. Trying to unmask me while you're with her, show her the truth…" His voice was full of dark mirth. "But instead, you're giving yourself to me in her honor…how touching.."

He merely shook his head slightly in response. "She'll go insane if she found out that she gave herself to…_you_. I can't let that happen, so this is my ultimatum. Take it Slade, you know you want to."

"My, my. Such a hard decision….To have you my apprentice, or use the valuable bit of information you just gave me…"

"Information…what are you….?"

His broad shoulders shook with malevolent laughter, "I could reveal my identity to her and cause her to go 'insane', as you say. After days of self loathing, she'll come crawling back to me. Knowing that you won't accept her because of who she's been with. It's quite simple, really."

Slade pressed his fingertips together, peering intently at the screen. He had only had the boy as an apprentice for a few short days, but even in those few hours, he could sense the vast power streaming within him. Power that was held back because of those pesky friends of his…

Another chance, for god knows how long this charade could go on, could prove to be very beneficial. He smirked wickedly under his mask, eye glittering maliciously as he made his decision.

"Very well then, Robin. Come to the docks tomorrow evening, I'm more than certain you still have your old suit lying around _somewhere_."

The transmission ended here, the screen fading into a sea of gray and black, crackling slightly in the silent room.

Robin turned off the television. He had used one of the older systems downstairs to contact Slade, as not to rise any suspicion of the team. It was considerably smaller than the screen upstairs, covered in a silhouette of gray dust. He stared idly at it, mind turning over the thought of what he had just done…

What he had just agreed to….

Everything had worked out to his…pleasure, if one could call it that. He knew Slade wouldn't be able to resist his offer. He had quite a knack for apprentices, especially Robin…Their short time together had been Slade's pride, the fact that he had found a way to overcome him.

Must be a real treat for Slade to have him come _willingly_….

Slade was right though, he did still have his apprentice suit. It was in the room next door, the vault room. The others, especially Starfire, suggested he get rid of it, but something told him not to. It was serving as a silent reminder to why he hated Slade so very much, how easily he had let himself fall into the man's trap. A warning of how simply he could be manipulated…

Sighing slightly, he stood up and left the room. The wounds he had suffered yesterday were still fresh, still causing him pain as he moved about. His skin was littered with bruises from crashing into the walls, hand still burning with pain every time he applied pressure to it, and his wrist was still numb from the shattered bones. Every injury a silent reminder of Slade's strength.

He had almost made it to his room when…

"Robin…?" Her voice called from down the hall.

His bandaged hand was on the key pad, ready to type in the numbers, ready to pretend he hadn't heard her….

But since when did he have the strength to deny her…?

He looked over and saw her progressing down the hall, face worried and worn.

"Your hand…Robin, are you alright?" She asked gently, stopping next to him.

"Yeah…" He spat out instantly, hiding the agony of the pain he still felt. "I just got a bit hurt training, that's all…"

She took his broken wrist in her hand, gazing warily at it. "These injuries…are not from training…Robin, where have you been?"

He stared at the ground darkly, feeling her fingers trace over his hand for any other injuries. "Does it really even matter? I was going to go sleep…so, if you don't mind…."

Star put down his hand gently, letting it fall to his side again. "I am sorry to disturb your rest but…We really do need to talk…." Her voice was gentle now, no longer questioning or curious.

She was referring to the night before last….they did need to have a talk about that.

Certainly before he left off for….

"Alright, let's talk in my room." He put in the code and watched the door slide open, walking in and sitting down instantly on his bed. Walking took a lot out of him these days…

She stood before him nervously before finally taking a seat on his bed as well, head bowed slightly, regret lining her expression.

"Robin…" She began softly. "The other night…you told me that you loved me…."

He didn't react at all, not externally at least. His mind and heart screamed out how true it was…he was risking his life for her over and over again, all for her, because he loved her so damn much…

"And…" She looked up now, staring at the ceiling, trying to hold tears in her eyes. "And I love you also, for a long time I have loved you….but…"

Now he reacted slightly, gazing over at her, the smallest speckle of hope shimmering through his heart…

Then there was that single word…

'But'…..

"I am with Joseph at the moment and…I plan on continuing to see him, and perhaps we will not last for much longer but…I am happy with him right now, and I do not want to lose this happiness…."

"So you're saying…." The words has jumped out of his mouth before he even considered them, "You're saying you won't be happy with me…am I right?"

She opened her mouth to speak, a small gasp escaping her lips but they closed again, as did her eyes. She sighed and mulled his words over before speaking again.

"It is not that I will not be happy…I just fear that, things would become complicated. Fighting crime together would become a whole new world of danger. One of us would end up getting killed trying to save the other…."

Robin laughed sullenly. "Sounds more like my train of thought, doesn't it?" He became slightly bitter now…

"Just admit it Starfire, you love him much more than you'll ever love me. That's why you're going with him. Not out of fear for our lives."

"But Robin…" She looked over at him.

"Just go…" He commanded harshly, standing up and turning his back to her. Like an insolent child refusing to listen to a parent any longer.

She wanted to stay and attempt to console him, but her mind had no convincing argument. Slowly, she left the room, leaving him to his own brooding silence.

He lied down on his bed as soon as she left, wanting so badly to go to sleep, but finding it impossible. He should save up his energy for tomorrow…he had the sick feeling that he wouldn't get too much sleep after this, Slade wasn't exactly that kind…

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The next evening came all to fast for Robin, then again, even if this night had been six years away, that would still be far too soon. He was in his room, fresh out of the shower, re-bandaging his wounds and delaying every step he took.

The uniform was laid out on his bed, ready for later in the night. The orange and black stood out against everything else in his considerably plain room. His body ached with the thought of putting the gauntlets on, to have to have another serpentine 's' burn his chest…

He refused to put it on now…it was only around seven at night and he didn't plan on leaving until midnight or so. The time when no one would be awake to see him leave…

Then again, part of him refused to put on his normal outfit too. He felt as if he didn't deserve to wear it anymore, didn't deserve such an honorable title of 'The Boy Wonder'….

If only Bruce could see him now….

And his parents…

They were probably turning in their graves….

He shook his head and put on a pair of old, faded jeans and a t-shirt. He didn't bother putting hair gel in, finding it really unnecessary at this point. With a slight sigh, he walked out into the main room. Finding it full as usual, everyone up to their normal business, not suspecting a thing.

It had been days since he had seen them…

"Robin! Man, where've you been?" Cyborg asked, looking over the couch.

Raven gazed over at him, instantly noticing his bandaged up hands and bruised arms that were revealed.

He put on his normal persona. "Ah, just needed a lot of sleep, that's all….Anything to eat?"

As Raven had tried to do on her 'last' day with the titans, he heeded to all of their requests. Playing video games with the guys, eating both tofu and meat, and drinking a strong cup of coffee. They seemed pretty satisfied with his return, but he could sense Raven's uneasy and suspicious looks every now and then.

She wasn't oblivious to his façade.

It was late now as they were the only two left in the kitchen. The clock read out a dismal '11:45' as Robin stood up slowly.

"Well…I'm going to bed…" He said slowly, taking a good look around the room….

Everything was for the last time…

He scowled at that thought. How horribly cliché it was. There was nothing to be sentimental about here, he chose this path…

No regrets.

"Robin…" Raven said watching him stand. "It's not normal of me to ask this…but is everything alright? You seem…tense…."

He took a deep breath and nodded, closing his eyes for a few lingering seconds. "Yeah, just coming down with a cold or…something…"

"And your hands….?"

His eyes instantly glanced down at them. "I won't lie to you like I did everyone else….It was Slade. We got into a bit of a battle the other night…I'm okay though, really."

"Is she really worth it?" Raven asked softly.

Robin froze for a second, his gaze locking with Raven's. "Yes."

It was useless to try and find anything else out. He would just keep lying. "If you say so…."

He turned away, giving a quiet 'good night' to her as he left the room. Steps accelerated slightly as he went to his room. His face set into a grim, cold expression. He prayed to god that Raven, or anyone else for that matter, wouldn't see him as he left.

The door slid open and shut instantly behind him as he stood before the outfit. He stared at it for a few seconds, dismal amounts of second thoughts and regrets running through his head.

Then he thought of her…

What she would become if she knew the truth….

His mask was the first thing that left his face, fluttering to the ground silently, followed soon after by the rest of his attire.

The suit felt cold against his skin as he slipped it on, feeling it grip to his skin in the familiar fashion of any spandex. He pressed the mask onto his face, fingers tracing the edges to the pointed tips. The gauntlets were fastened on after that, followed by the steel boots and finally, his gloves. He flexed his fingers gently as he let go of the ends of the glove, like a doctor preparing for surgery.

He didn't dare to look at the mirror as he padded out of the room silently, leaving all of his past life behind. The door hissed slightly as it closed behind him. His back was pressed against the wall as he gazed down the hall, watching Raven float into her room without so much as glance in his direction.

His gaze locked solely on the door at the end of the hall as he began to walk slowly. All the doors down the hall were shut tight, no sounds at all emitting from them, no lights peeking out from underneath.

Nothing but his soft metal footsteps and light breaths. He was about six feet or so from the door, in the homestretch of finally leaving here….

"Robin…What are you….?" A quiet, shocked gasp escaped her.

He couldn't will him self to keep moving forward and ignore her. Again, he never did possess that ability. He simply raised a dark, gloved hand to silence her. "I'm leaving…" He said darkly.

"But…We need you…" She whispered. She didn't dare ask why, part of her knew that she wouldn't quite understand the answer…

He closed his eyes and forced himself to walk, it took all his power and will to ignore her soft pleas. He just had to keep remembering one thing…

All for her…

He kept walking, knowing that the door was only five feet away, which progressed into four…

Starfire ran after him, grabbing his hand and stopping him in his tracks for the second time. Her bare hand felt strange against his black leathered palm. She gazed up at him, so many questions in her gaze alone.

He had to leave, and now. She would suffer now as he left her with no explanation, but it would be a lot less than the suffering of finding out what she had unknowingly done…

His hand slipped from hers as he progressed forward again, hand turning the knob, starting his new life and leaving the old behind.

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A/N: Ah, so ends another chapter. I really have a lot of ideas for this story, a great deal of them violent, but awesome. Hah, so good. Oh, and for those of you who may be worrying, this is not the end of SladeStar in this story, hell no. Since when did Slade do anything Robin wanted him to? And look forward to Robin going totally off the edge and becoming quite crazy for a while. Fun. Sheer, violent fun.


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